Unification of Germany and Italy

Italy
- Background
o Fragmented
 Not a country in mid-19th Century
 Many small states
 Austria dominates north
 Kingdom

o Nationalism
 “Italy” merely a geographic expression
 Taste of unity under Napoleon
 Congress of Vienna placed much of Italy under Austrian rule
o Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
 Liberal revolts
 Attempted unification
 Failed
o “Risorgimento”
 Desire to return to greatness of the past
 Roman Empire
 Renaissance
- Unification
o Guiseppe Mazzini
 “The Owl”
 The thinker
o Dreamer
 1805-1872
 Organized “Young Italy”
 1830s
 Group of liberal revolutionaries
o Students
o Called for mass uprising
 Goal
o Unity
o Create a republic
 Soul of unification movement
o Spread ideas of unification
o Camillo Cavour
 “The Fox”
 The Politician
 1810-1861
 Prime Minister of Kingdom of Sardinia
 Under King Victor Emmanuel
 Sardinia
 Piedmont
 Nice and Savoy
 Wanted to unite Italy under Sardinian leadership
 Nationalistic
 Practical
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 o Cautious and crafty
o Did not trust common man
o Wanted limited monarchy
 Reforms
 Industrialize and modernize
o Roads, canals, railroads
o Economic protections
 Tariffs
 Improved finances
o Improved agriculture and industry
o Built up army
 Foreign Policy
 Ultimate goal is unity
 Crimean War
o 1854-1856
o Chance to win allies
 Joined Ottomans, French, & English versus Russians
 Became friends with Napoleon III
 War versus Austria
o 1858
o France to fight Austria
 Sardinia to give Nice and Savoy to France
o Magenta and Solferino
 Victories
 Very bloody
 Austria forced to give up Lombardy
o Napoleon negotiates separate peace
 Feared threat to Papal states
 Austria gave up Lombardy but kept Venetia
 Makes deals to unify
o Parma, Tuscany, Modena, Romagna join Sardinia
 All of Northern Italy except Venetia now united
o Giuseppe Garibaldi
 “The Lion”
 The Soldier
o Fiery
o Emotional/Nationalistic
 1807-1882
 Red Shirts
 Goal is to help create unified republic
o Volunteer army
o Italian patriots
 First goal
 Drive Spanish Bourbons out of the Kingdom of Two
Sicilies
o Success – 1860
o Combined Kingdom of Two Sicilies with
Sardinia

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  Second goal
 To conquer Rome and Papal states
 Stopped by Cavour
o Feared international rebuke

- Final unification
o 1861
 Victor Emmanuel is King of Italy
o 1866
 Venetia joins Kingdom of Italy
 After Seven Weeks War
o 1870
 Papal States join Kingdom of Italy
 Pope Pius IX withdrew to
Vatican
- Problems of new Italian state
o Conflict between North and South
o Conflict with the church
o Conflict between Monarchists and
Republicans
o Desire to extend boundaries

Germany
- German Nationalism
o Different from Western Europe
 Less individualistic
 More emphasis on Group/State
- Obstacles to German Unification
o Upper class
o German Dualism
o Failure of Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
 Attempts at unity
o Army in need of reform
- Prussia
o William I
 1797-1888
 From Hohenzollern ruling family
 Authoritarian
 Wanted to break reliance on Junkers
 German nobility
 Constitutional
 Effective bureaucracy
 Moderate
 Less repressive
o Abolished serfdom
o Public education system
o Strong economy
 Zollverein
 Trade unity
 Industrializing
 Coal and Iron deposits
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  Railroad and telegraph
 Urbanizaing
o New territory gained in Congress of Vienna
 Silesia 1740
 Poland 1770s and 1790s
 Partitions of Poland
 Rhineland 1815
o Homogeneous population
 Almost entirely German and protestant
- Otto von Bismarck
o Personality
 Junker
 Did not care what people thought
 Unforgiving
 Practical
 Opportunist
 Military demeanor
o Politics
 Royalist
 Realpolitik
 Wanted a unified German state dominated by
Prussia
o Not democratic
 Did not want powerful parliament
 Disliked socialism and individualism
o Force Austria out of confederation
 End German dualism
 Ends justify the means
o Legality not an issue
 Power is most important
 Do whatever it takes to accomplish goals
 Shrewd
 Conservative
 Stressed duty, order, service, fear of God
 Did not trust the west
 State supreme
 Becomes Chancellor
 Chief Minister
o “Iron Chancellor”
o Expanded army
 Ignored constitution
 Collected tax without consent of legislature
- “Blood and Iron”
o Wars of Unification
 Schleswig-Holstein
 1864
 Danish province
 Prussia formed alliance with Austria
o Austria would get Holstein
o Prussia would get Schleswig

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  Began war and defeated Dance
 Disagreement about borders
 Seven Weeks War
 1866
 Prussia versus Austria
 Prussia won easily
o Austria forced to give Venetia to Italy
o Holstein to Prussia
 North German Confederation formed
o Led by Prussia
 Did not include Austria or southern Catholic states-
o Franco-Prussian War
 Background
 Four Southern German states not part of North German Confederation
o Catholic
o Closely tied to France
o Bismarck wanted them
 Bismarck looked for an excuse for war with France
o Appeal to German nationalism of south
 EMS Telegram
 Spanish throne vacant
o Throne offered to Hohenzollern family
o France upset
 Feared being surrounded by Germans
o Hohenzollerns decline offer
o France still upset
 Demanded assurance future offers would also be declined
o King Wilhelm sent telegram to Bismarck describing incident
 Bismarck altered and published telegram
 Both sides felt insulted
 Led to war
 War
 France lost quickly
o Lasted only six months
 Outnumbered
 Poorly prepared
 Incompetent officer corps
 Inferior weapons
 Treaty of Frankfurt
o France paid indemnity
 France vowed revenge
o Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia
o Southern German states joined German Confederation
 Effectively German Empire
 1871
 Wilhelm named Kaiser
o King
 Nationalistic
o Strong confident army
 Growing population and industry

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